Forgive and Forget
"Hi, the name is Maia...Maia Ramiscal..."
"Forgive... and forget." That's my motto in life or so I thought. Well, that's what everyone believes including I.
It was fresh in the morning of June when a female student rushed her way to Maia with teary eyes and blocked her way to the faculty room with palms holding each other.
"Professor! I'm sorry. I... I really didn't mean it! I was so stupid and clumsy to cause you such humiliation yesterday!" The female student lowered her head as she apologized with quivers but in the next seconds, she never had a response from Maia, that's when she decided to inconspicuously look at her, but what she saw is an expressionless woman in front of her.
*Oh no! What's with her face?!* That look send shivers down to her spine and made her panicked specially when her eyes met the woman's nonchalant iris but her internal struggle was interrupted by Maia's assuring words.
"It's okay." She smiled, "Whatever that happened yesterday, it was all in the past", then she hold the female student's shoulder to help her stand straight. "I think you should go to your class now." Maia suggested before leaving the female student with two light shoulder taps and went straight to the faculty room.
*Eh?!... Am I being delusional?* The female student can't bring herself into believing that she has been forgiven that easy. *I thought It's going to be a rough day for me.* While contemplating this, her classmate came running towards her from the back.
"Risty! I heard what happened yesterday!" She exclaimed as she charged towards her and held her hands immediately like a mother checking on her child while nagging.
"How could you do that to the professor? It's not good to make such impressions on our first week as freshmen!" She nagged, "What if she starts picking on you for the rest of the school year?!... Huh?!"
"Calm down, sis." Risty said as she released her right hand from her friend's holding and prompt her palms in front of her gesturing her to stop being hysterical. "You might find this crazy but..." Risty inhales then --- "She accepted my apology, I thought she's going to humiliate me in front of everyone and get even with me especially when she look at me with that blank face of her at first and I am starting to lose my language ability but before I even blurted out something that can ruin even more of my future she suddenly spoke and said..." Risty rapped and inhales again but deeper, ""It's okay"" she exhales.
Hearing this, her friend was dumbfounded, "Really?!... Th-that's it?!" She asked out of disbelief.
"Well, she added, 'Whatever that happened yesterday, it was all in the past', then told me to go to class now before she left" Risty narrated mimicking the way Maia spoke and she scratched her temple.
"Are you sure she doesn't mean the literal past?!" Her friend doubted, "Well, just so you know, yesterday is literally, you know..."
"I think she doesn't mean literally" Risty analyzed, as she hold her chin and bit her lip, "She even tap my shoulder!" She defended, "For real. With a smile!"
"Is that so?... I hope it really is..." Her friend hoped. "The rumor must be true then." She murmured in a serious tone.
"What do you mean?" Risty started to become weary again. "Tell me!"
"Come closer..." She said and gestured while looking around then the two inches closer but...
"Oh, I thought you went to your class now." Maia said from behind while holding a textbook and a pen pouch, smiling.